Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-06-23
STATE PRINTING OFfIrE.
THE FRAUD UPON THE TEXTBOOK
FUND AND THE PEOPLE.
Tactics for Employing and Paying
Political Favorites and Others
with Stolen Funds and Chips.

Further investigation discloses some of
tae methods by which the fraud has been
2erpetrated upon the people of the State
concerning the school text book funds,
about So, 900 of which have mysteriously
disappeared by nanipulations in the State
Printing Office, and in relation 10 which
the REcoED-USFoN yesterday called upon
the State Printer for an explanation. The
pay-rolls and vouchers on file in the Con-
troller's and Board of Examiners offices
pretend to show that nearly $4,000 has
been paid for work alone in printing and
manufacturing text books since the LIST of
January last. This large amount has been
paid out upon the
SWORN STATEMENT OF STATE PRINTER
sHoAFF,
While his official statements to the State
Board of Education are that all the work
upon these textbooks during that time, and
including the cost of material is only
about $4,000. According to the State
Printers own showing, therefore, about
| $2S, coo has been deliberately distracted
from the appropriation made for manu-
featuring school books. This has been
done by the boldest and most bsld-faced
operations. The funds for the support of
the general work in the State Printing Of
flee became exhausted soon after the adj
| journment of the Legislature, and the
| criminal tactics were then at once resorted
| TO, of bearing large number of workmen
upon the rolls as working upon the text
| books, in order to pay them out of the
textbook fund, bat who were still doing
! usual duties upon other matters of the
printing Office.
PECULIAR METHODS.
Ii is ascertained, also that one import
ant leak in the text-b book fund was caused
by keeping very large force of men and
women in the bindery department during
g portion, at least of the time the Legis-
| lature was in session. without having any
thing for them to do much of the time.
There has been a great deal of 9 funny
business in the bindery department since
that time, and in fact the foreman
IN charge OF the department, NJ. F. Cum
mings, is credited with running not only
his own part of the establishment but the
superintendent as well. 1t is stated that
not long since list of these to be dis
charged from the bindery, upon reduc-
ton of the force, WIS sent over to him by
Mr.. Shoaff, whereupon he made an en-
tirely new deal, leaving on such as he de-
sired to have stay, and striking off others
in their places.
HE WAS MUCH DISTURBED
By the Superintendent interference. and
exclaimed, These persons are not going
off the payroll. --, | am running
this office; Carr is not running this Office,
nor is Shoaff, and they are not going to"
This is said to be specimen of the man
ner in which he controls and has matters
20, L
State Printer likes it or not
1t is stated also by parties who say they
are ready to make good the statement, that
during the time the public meeting was
being gotten up in San Francisco, ostensi-
bly, by the knights of Labor against the
Board of Education, there were parties on
the pay roll of the bindery department who
went to San Francisco and helped TO work
up the agitation on the textbook question:
and who received pay out of the textbook
fund for the time they were away for that
purpose. If this is not robbery of the peo-
pie, what is
1t will be remembered that all, or nearly
ALL the agitation gotten up in this CITY
upon the textbook subject emanated
from the binding department. and the
story goes that after Mr.. Cummings had
melted and organized the procession of
men and damsels last spring to march
to the Capitol to present their de-
mands for the immediate expenditure
of the textbook fund, and was to lead it,
that having gotten them in line and
started. he failed to march and remained
behind.
UNLAWFUL WAGES PAID.
1t is discovered also that another large
leakage in the Printing Office funds is
through the payment of unlawful rates of
wages. Sec. 531, of Political Code, pro-
vides that the Superintendent shall at no
time pay employees in the printing depart
ment higher wages than those employing
printers in Sacramento, for like work
meaning thereby the general rate for like
work.
The fact is, that the rate paid by all the
leading job printers in Sacramento, who